Overview
Surfing to some is a hobby, to others a way of life. And no doubt for a large majority, the thought of strolling down the beach with a board under your arms at some faraway island beach destination would rank high on the wish list. Whatever surfing means to you, it's hard not to be enticed into travelling to surf destinations across the globe, whether you intend on visiting the green room or not.
In partnership with Corona, we invited surf traveller and Founder and Editor of Stab Magazine, Derek Rielly, to offer his insights into ten dreamboat waves across the globe that, in his own words, "ain't going to tear your head off."
1. Aragum Bay, Sri Lanka
"Wander the globe for a dozen lifetimes and you won't find an easier wave than this sand bottom righthander on Sri Lanka's east coast. It isn't supersonic, by any stretch, but if you want to stroll up to the beak of that longboard or practise shuvs on your Biolos fish, ain't a place like it. Land in Colombo, the capital, and hire a driver to take you across the island. Ten hours. Overnight in Kandy for cultural thrills."
2. Cloudbreak, Fiji
"Yes, okay, sure, there are times when this very famous Fijian lefthander will attempt to dislodge the soft grey matter within your cranium. But, for the most, it's the kind of wave that that allows you a reef-y thrill while avoiding most of the unpleasantries you'll find at somewhere like Teahupoo in Tahiti. Smooth, easy takeoffs, defined sections and a clearly marked no-go end bowl."
3. Biarritz, France
"I've got this thing where I never check winds, swell or tides. I just grab the one board that's in my life and paddle out wherever, in whatever. In the town of Biarritz, right there in the bottom kink of the Bay of Biscay, you'll bounce around fun beach break ramps in front of the Eugenie Palace and a sand marked by hundreds of striped deck chairs. Do it in July and the water will be surprisingly warm, like, 23 degrees. Hello Gulf Stream!"
4. Pacific Palms, NSW, Australia
"Take the turnoff from the Pacific Highway to Pacific Palms (so much Pacific) and stretch out your turns in a series of easy beachbreaks that, while not world-class, the setting of turquoise water and checked development is. Virtually empty outside of school holidays."
5. Rocky Point, Oahu
"If only to feel like you're strolling through a vast movie set, visit the North Shore in December. Here, there, everywhere, all the superstar surfers, all the writers, all the photographers and all the stylish old cats that made the sport such a valuable marketing commodity. And, there, just northward of the nasty Pipe is a lefthander that, while it isn't easy as such, it's a zillion times more playful than anything else here. A nice turtle might visit you too. (Don't think about the sharks.)"
6. Salt Creek, California, USA
"Whatever the season, little Salt Creek here, right in the heart of bourgeois Orange County, and once the photographic domain of the great Larry "Flame" Moore (Surfing magazine's photo editor and famous shooter), delivers. And it delivers an easy paddle out, it delivers a series of peaks (hence breaking up the crowd) and if you want to smooch the sky, you got ramps."
7. Keramas, Bali
"Not even 10 years ago, a pal and me had to be drawn a map to this once very secret wave on Bali's east coast. Nowadays, there's a resort right there on the black sand beach, the seething electricity of traveller liaisons wafting across the once empty beach. Hello Cancun! Up to four feet or so, this is a not-too-fast, but fast enough, righthander that has become the skate bowl for local surfers practising their finners and flips. You'll have a ball."
8. Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
"Hard as hell to get to, unless you happen to already be in the Brazilian city of Natal (daily flights). Fernando de Noronha is 21 islands protected from the worst of man by virtue of its listing as a World Heritage Site. It ain't just one wave either. You'll find beachbreaks, rebounds off headlands and challenging wedges in water so warm (it's the South Equatorial Current doing the trick here) you won't have to touch a wetsuit."
9. Soup Bowls, Barbados
"Even if only to say you consumed one of the quaint burgers at the hotel overlooking this Caribbean righthander, you must visit Barbados once, perhaps twice. Rarely too big or too heavy, this wave coils along a benign reef allowing five or six crowd-pleasing turns."
10. Snapper Rocks, Gold Coast, Australia
"Why not? Everyone else is here. Long lost friends, people you'll soon fight, maybe someone you might marry? Relentless stretches of frustration punctuated by waves that seem endless and mindlessly perfect once you get hold of one. But don't cutback. Don't turn that head or else you'll be joined by dozens of snipes on the shoulder."
Derek Rielly is the founder and editor of Stab Magazine, a cultural halfway house for wayward surfers. Before Stab, he was the launch editor of Surf Europe, a pan-European, four-language surf title based in Hossegor, France.